Thanksgiving is almost here and your toddler is probably bouncing off the walls with excitement. You are likely looking for creative ways to keep those tiny hands busy while celebrating the holiday season. Finding the right thanksgiving crafts for toddlers can be a lifesaver during this busy time of year.
The good news is that an easy thanksgiving craft doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Most of what you need is probably already sitting in your recycling bin or craft drawer. You can turn everyday items into a fun thanksgiving experience.
I have gathered some of the best turkey crafts and Thanksgiving activities that actually work for the toddler age group. These projects do not require advanced artistic skills or hours of preparation. They are perfect for happy toddler playtime sessions.
These are real, doable, mess-friendly activities that will keep your little one engaged and happy. Let’s jump into some projects that will make your Thanksgiving memorable and filled with fun learning.
Table of Contents:
- Simple Turkey Crafts That’ll Make Your Toddler Smile
- Messy and Colorful Painting Activities
- Handprint and Footprint Keepsakes
- Fine Motor Skill Building Crafts
- Interactive Games and Learning Activities
- Sensory Play and Edible Crafts
- Simple Crafts for the Youngest Toddlers
- Tips for Making Crafts More Enjoyable
- Storing and Displaying Finished Crafts
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
Simple Turkey Crafts That’ll Make Your Toddler Smile
Turkey crafts are the heart of Thanksgiving activities for little ones. They are festive, engaging, and give kids a wonderful sense of accomplishment. You will find that kiddos love seeing their creations come to life.
Michelle from 7 Days of Play created a hilarious STEM activity using just a disposable glove, cup straw, and cup. Your toddler blows into the straw and watches the turkey puff up like magic. It is an ingenious way to combine science with a fun thanksgiving craft.
It is silly, it is simple, and it will have your kid giggling for hours. The best part is that you probably have everything you need at home already. It truly is an easy thanksgiving option for last-minute entertainment.
If you are looking for something with a bit more color, the footprint turkey with tissue paper wings is a winner. Your toddler’s footprint becomes the turkey body while colorful tissue paper creates stained glass wings. This project results in beautiful turkey art you can display.
Another great idea is making a turkey headband. You can use a paper strip measured to your child’s head and let them glue on feathers. It creates a festive accessory they can wear during Thanksgiving dinner.
Paper Bag and Paper Plate Projects
Paper bags and paper plates are crafting gold when it comes to toddler activities. They are cheap, easy to find, and incredibly versatile for creative minds. A simple paper plate turkey can become the highlight of your day.
The paper bag turkey craft turns a simple lunch bag into an adorable puppet. Your toddler can stuff it with newspaper and decorate it with feathers. Don’t forget to add googly eyes to give it some personality.
You can also use a bag turkey craft as a way to act out stories. Encourage your child to make turkey sounds with their new puppet. It encourages imaginative play and language development.
Paper plate turkeys are another classic that never gets old. The traditional paper plate turkey lets kids glue on feathers and draw faces. It is the quintessential thanksgiving turkey project.
For something different, try the paper plate turkey wreath. It doubles as a decoration you can hang on your door to welcome Thanksgiving guests. You can simply cut the center out of a plate to create the wreath shape.
Recycled Material Turkeys
Toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, and cardboard boxes can become amazing thanksgiving crafts for toddlers. Teaching kids about reusing materials is a bonus lesson wrapped in fun. It transforms trash into a thankful turkey treasure.
The toilet paper roll turkey is perfect for little hands. Kids paint the roll, add construction paper feathers, and suddenly you have a turkey friend. It is a fantastic use for a toilet paper roll that would otherwise be tossed.
Egg cartons work great too. The egg carton turkey craft uses individual cups from the carton to create a textured, three-dimensional bird. You can add red paint for the wattle and yellow for the beak.
Got some cardboard lying around? The painted cardboard turkey is super easy and lets toddlers go wild with paint colors. Blogger Brittany often recommends using sturdy cardboard for younger toddlers who might press hard.
You can also use pipe cleaners to create fun legs for your recycled creatures. A pipe cleaner is easy for small hands to bend and shape. Poking them into cardboard provides excellent fine motor practice.
Related Reading: 10 Preschool Thanksgiving Craft Ideas for Fun at Home
Messy and Colorful Painting Activities
Toddlers and paint are a natural combination. They love getting their hands dirty and watching colors blend together. These thanksgiving craft ideas allow for unrestricted artistic expression.
Feather painting is a fun twist on traditional brush painting. The feather painted turkey craft uses real feathers as the painting tool. It adds a sensory element that regular brushes cannot match.
Your toddler dips feathers in paint and creates the turkey’s plumage. It is sensory play and art rolled into one activity. The resulting texture looks amazing on paper.
Tie-dye is not just for shirts anymore. The tie-dye turkey craft uses coffee filters and markers to create colorful feathers. You spray the filters with water and watch the colors bleed together.
This process fascinates toddlers as they see the ink move. Once dry, these filters make beautiful wings for a turkey thanksgiving decoration. It is science and art working together.
Crayon Resist and Textured Art
Crayon resist is a magical technique that toddlers absolutely love. They draw with crayons and then paint over everything with watercolors. It creates a cool effect that seems to reveal hidden pictures.
The crayon marks stay visible while the paint fills in around them. The Thanksgiving crayon resist art works perfectly for creating autumn leaves and turkeys. You can write “practice gratitude” messages with white crayon for a surprise reveal.
Texture crafts add another dimension to art time. The textured corn craft uses bubble wrap or corn on the cob to stamp paint onto paper. It mimics the look of kernels perfectly.
Your toddler learns about different textures while making festive decorations. It is hands-on learning disguised as playtime. You can add googly eyes to the corn to make it a silly character.
Handprint and Footprint Keepsakes
There is something special about preserving your toddler’s tiny prints. These crafts become treasured memories you will look back on for years. A handprint turkey is a staple of the holiday season.
The classic turkey handprint craft never goes out of style. Your child’s hand becomes the turkey body and each finger is a colorful feather. It captures the size of their hand at this specific moment.
You can make these on canvas, construction paper, or even fabric. Some moms frame them or turn them into Thanksgiving cards for grandparents. Sharing these on social media always garners sweet comments.
Footprint turkeys are equally adorable and work great for younger toddlers. The footprint turkey with tissue paper combines prints with colorful tissue paper for a mixed-media masterpiece. The heel makes a perfect turkey head.
Don’t forget to write the date on the back of these crafts ideas. It helps you remember exactly when those little feet were that small. These keepsakes are perfect gifts for family members.
Photo Crafts and Personalized Decorations
Adding your toddler’s photo to a craft makes it extra special. The Thanksgiving photo placemat puts your child’s picture right on the dinner table. It makes them feel like the star of the feast.
Laminate it and you have a reusable placemat for years to come. Guests will love seeing your little one’s face smiling up from their plate. It is a durable way to preserve a turkey photo.
Chair backers are another personalized touch for your Thanksgiving table. The Thanksgiving chair backer decorates each seat with your child’s artwork. You can use a paper bag base for this project too.
Fine Motor Skill Building Crafts
Thanksgiving crafts for toddlers can do more than just entertain. They can help develop those crucial fine motor skills that toddlers are working on. Activities like threading are excellent for this.
Threading activities are perfect for this age group. The turkey feathers fine motor activity has kids threading feathers through holes. You can punch holes in a paper plate or a cardboard cutout.
It takes concentration and hand-eye coordination that toddlers are just starting to master. The sense of achievement when they complete it is priceless. It is a fun way to practice fine motor skills without them realizing it is work.
Pom pom activities are another great option. The pom pom push turkey has toddlers pushing colorful pom poms into a container. It strengthens their grip and finger muscles.
You can use a clear container so they can see the colors accumulate. This visual feedback keeps them engaged longer. It is one of those easy crafts that occupies them for a surprisingly long time.
Pinching and Placing Activities
Activities that involve pinching small objects help strengthen the muscles needed for writing later on. The fine motor turkey craft combines pinching with creativity. It prepares their hands for future tasks.
Toddlers use clothespins or tweezers to place feathers on their turkey. It is therapeutic for them and beneficial for their development. You can color the clothespins to match the feathers for a color matching game.
The turkey fine motor activity takes a similar approach. Kids practice their pincer grasp while decorating their festive bird. Using items like sequins or buttons adds to the challenge.
These are not just thanksgiving crafts for toddlers. They are developmental tools wrapped in holiday fun. Every time they pinch, they practice fine motor control.
Consider making a turkey popsicle stick puzzle. You can line up popsicle sticks and draw a turkey across them. Then mix them up and let your child reassemble the turkey popsicle.
You can also use just a single turkey popsicle stick as a puppet handle. Glue a paper turkey to the top. It encourages imaginative storytelling.
Related Reading: Easy Thanksgiving Crafts for Kindergarteners to Enjoy
Interactive Games and Learning Activities
Who says Thanksgiving activities have to be stationary? Toddlers need to move and games keep them engaged in different ways. A fun turkey game is great for burning off energy.
The turkey trot game gets kids up and moving. It combines gross motor skills with Thanksgiving themes in a playful way. You can play music and have them freeze when it stops.
Counting games sneak in some early math practice. The feed the turkey counting activity has toddlers feeding paper corn to a hungry turkey. You can make the turkey out of a box or bag.
Each piece they feed helps them practice one-to-one correspondence. They are learning without even realizing it. You can label the corn with numbers for older toddlers.
Number and Movement Games
The racing turkeys number line game introduces early number recognition. Toddlers roll dice and move their turkey along a number line. It makes math tangible and exciting.
It is competitive fun that teaches counting and number order. Plus toddlers love anything that involves racing. You can use small toy turkeys as game pieces.
Ring toss games are always a hit with this age group. The Thanksgiving turkey ring toss puts a festive spin on this classic game. You can use cones or bottles decorated as turkeys.
Kids toss rings onto turkey-shaped targets and work on their aim. It is perfect for burning energy on a chilly November day. It helps coordinate hand movements with visual targets.
Sensory Play and Edible Crafts
Sensory activities are crucial for toddler development. They explore the world through touch, smell, and yes, sometimes taste. A happy toddler loves to squish and squash new textures.
The edible pumpkin pie play clay is safe for mouthing toddlers. It smells like Thanksgiving and feels amazing to squish and mold. You can use pumpkin pie spice to give it that authentic scent.
You can make shapes, practice rolling, and let your toddler explore textures. If they sneak a taste, no worries because it is completely edible. It creates a safe environment for exploration.
Music activities engage different senses too. The corn shakers music activity creates homemade instruments from recycled containers. Fill them with dried corn kernels for a satisfying sound.
Surprise Crafts with a Twist
Sometimes the most memorable crafts are the ones with a surprise element. The Thanksgiving turkey cascarones are filled with confetti. They are hollowed-out eggshells decorated to look like turkeys.
Kids crack them open and confetti explodes everywhere. It is messy, it is exciting, and it is a Thanksgiving tradition with a festive twist. It adds an element of thrill to the holiday.
The gobbling turkey craft adds sound to the mix. Toddlers create turkeys that actually make gobbling sounds when you pull a string. It uses a simple friction mechanism with a plastic cup.
Interactive crafts like these keep toddlers engaged longer than static art projects. They are creating something that does something. It teaches cause and effect in a fun way.
Simple Crafts for the Youngest Toddlers
If your toddler is on the younger side, some crafts might still be too complex. That is okay because there are plenty of options designed for littler hands. Preschool thanksgiving ideas often work well for young toddlers too.
The basic Thanksgiving craft for toddlers strips things down to the essentials. Simple shapes, big pieces, and lots of glue stick action. A toddler turkey needs to be sturdy and simple.
Young toddlers do not need fancy techniques. They need projects that let them practice basic skills like gluing and placing objects. Hand them a paper strip and let them scribble; that is art too.
If you are exploring more crafts for toddlers beyond Thanksgiving, you will find similar principles apply. Keep it simple, make it sensory, and let them lead. Their version of turkey art is always right.
No-Fail Options for Busy Parents
Some days you just need something quick that will not create a disaster zone in your kitchen. I get it completely because I have been there. It is time to embrace the easy route.
Printable activities are lifesavers for those moments. Michelle’s blow up the turkey printable requires minimal setup and maximum fun. A printable turkey saves you from drawing outlines yourself.
You print it out, grab a glove and straw, and you are done. The cleanup is minimal and your toddler gets a full activity. It’s quick and satisfies their need to create.
Sometimes the best thanksgiving crafts for toddlers are the ones that do not stress you out. There is no shame in choosing easy over elaborate. A simple printable template can be just as fun as a complex project.
Tips for Making Crafts More Enjoyable
Here is what I have learned after doing countless craft sessions with toddlers. Preparation makes everything smoother and more fun for everyone involved. Spending time prepping pays off.
Set up your craft station before calling your toddler over. Have all materials within reach so you are not scrambling mid-project. If you need eyes glue them in advance or have self-adhesive ones ready.
Cover surfaces with newspaper or a plastic tablecloth. Accept right now that things will get messy and that is perfectly fine. You want to enjoy the process, not worry about the table.
Dress your toddler in clothes you do not care about or strip them down to a diaper. Paint-covered holiday outfits are not fun for anyone. Keep wipes handy for quick cleanups.
Let go of perfection and let your toddler lead the creative process. Their turkey might be purple with green spots and that is beautiful. It is their vision of a turkey’s feathers.
Focus on the process rather than the end product. The learning happens in the doing, not in creating something Instagram-worthy. Practice gratitude for their creativity and effort.
Keep sessions short because toddler attention spans are limited. Fifteen to twenty minutes is often the sweet spot for this age. Stop while they are still having fun.
Related Reading: Top Art Supplies for Kids to Boost Creativity and Fun
Storing and Displaying Finished Crafts
Your toddler will be so proud of their creations. They will want to see them displayed and appreciated. It validates their hard work and creativity.
Create a dedicated art wall or use a clothesline with clips. Rotating displays keep things fresh and let you showcase multiple projects. A plate turkey looks great hung on the fridge.
Take photos of bulkier crafts before recycling them. You keep the memory without storing every single creation until your house explodes. You can create a digital album of their work.
Make a Thanksgiving craft book by photographing each project. Add the date and a note about what your toddler said while making it. It becomes a lovely keepsake of their growth.
Some crafts like placemats and chair backers serve a dual purpose. They are both art and functional Thanksgiving decorations. They make the dinner table feel more personal.
Grandparents love receiving handmade crafts in the mail. Package up a turkey craft and send it as a Thanksgiving surprise. It is a gesture that spreads love across the miles.
Conclusion
Thanksgiving crafts for toddlers create memories that last far longer than the holiday itself. These simple activities teach skills, spark creativity, and give you quality time together. Whether you are building a thankful turkey or painting with feathers, the joy is in the connection.
You do not need expensive supplies or artistic talent to make these projects work. What you need is a willingness to get messy and have fun. So grab some pipe cleaners, add googly eyes to everything, and enjoy this special season with your little one.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are some easy Thanksgiving crafts for toddlers?
Simple options include paper plate turkeys, toilet paper roll turkeys, handprint keepsakes, feather painting, and coffee filter tie-dye turkeys. These activities require minimal prep and use common household materials.
2. How do I choose the best Thanksgiving crafts for toddlers?
Look for crafts that use large pieces, simple steps, and safe, non-toxic supplies. Anything involving gluing, painting, or sticking objects works well for busy little hands.
3. What supplies do I need for toddler Thanksgiving crafts?
Basic items like paper plates, construction paper, glue sticks, washable paint, feathers, tissue paper, toilet paper rolls, and googly eyes are perfect for toddler-friendly projects.
4. Are Thanksgiving crafts good for toddler development?
Yes! Thanksgiving crafts for toddlers support fine motor skills, creativity, sensory exploration, hand-eye coordination, and early learning concepts like colors, numbers, and textures.
5. How can I make Thanksgiving crafts less messy?
Prep your craft area with newspaper or a plastic tablecloth, use washable materials, choose contained activities like pom-pom push crafts, and keep sessions short (10–20 minutes).
6. What Thanksgiving crafts work best for younger toddlers?
Try simple gluing crafts, footprint turkeys, scribble art, edible play dough activities, and oversized paper pieces that little hands can grip easily.
7. How can I display my toddler’s Thanksgiving crafts?
Use a dedicated art wall, fridge display, photo album, hanging clothesline, or turn crafts into placemats, chair backers, or Thanksgiving table decorations.
